Site Search Navigation

Site Navigation

Site Mobile Navigation

Supported by

Keggers, at Home and Away

By Nick Fox April 8, 2009 1:28 pmApril 8, 2009 1:28 pm

viniplus.comWine in a box packaging.

My column today is about a growing number of restaurants and bars serving wines by the glass from a tap. While the tap is the visual apparatus, what makes this trend so intriguing is not so much the tap but the fact that the wine is stored in kegs.

The kegs offer restaurants the opportunity to make wines-by-the-glass cheaper, fresher and more efficient. By storing wines in steel kegs and using non-reactive gases like nitrogen at low-pressure to keep out air, the wines can stay fresh indefinitely. The tap-and-keg system can eliminate the problem of spoilage, as well as the labor and space required to maintain and replenish various open bottles. Assuming such savings will be passed on to the consumer, wines by the glass, which are notoriously overpriced, should be cheaper. What’s more, the kegs can be endlessly reused, eliminating trash.

Of course, consumers would have to be open to such a system. The analogous home device, bag-in-box wine, has been an unfortunate dud in the United States, at least as far as fine wine goes.

The principle of bag-in-box is somewhat similar to the tap-and-keg system, except with less plumbing. Instead of pressurized gas within a rigid container keeping the air away from the wine, the wine is kept in a plastic bag within a box. As the wine is dispensed (with a tap), the bag collapses around the remaining wine, leaving no room for air. The wine can last for weeks, this way.

Most bag-in-box wines come in four- or five-liter packaging. You can find very good wines sold this way in Australia and in Europe, but in the United States, the packaging is restricted to what was once called jug wine.

This is sad, because it’s a great system. Once, four or five years ago, an importer sent me a sample of a bag-in-box chardonnay from a very good Chablis producer — it actually was Chablis but was not called Chablis on the box. The wine was delicious, and it was great fun filling my glass from the tap. I guess I’m easily amused. Sadly, the importer told me that this wine would never be sold in the United States. “Americans just won’t go for it,’’ she told me.

It’s too bad, because it’s such an economical system for people who simply want a house red or house white. On the other hand, if you’re like me, you balk at drinking the same wine every night, so a four-liter bag-in-box, no matter how good the wine and how efficient the system, will present problems.

As far as tap-and-keg goes, the public does indeed seem open to the novelty of it. Look for it soon at a restaurant near you.

I recently bought a bag-in-the-box organic white wine from the Columbia Valley here in Washington and it was truly awful. We got through a half glass each and then threw the rest of it out. As a service to us suffering consumers, perhaps you and the tasting panel could do a tasting of what is available now in the States. Who knows, there might be a (good) surprise or two.

I think a lot of the responsibility for getting consumers to embrace alternative packaging for wines be it screw top, bag-in-box, kegs, etc. falls on journalists, wine educators, restaurant staff, and other front line on and off premise sales persons. I’m of a certain age and recall screw tops as being associated with scruffy guys on the corner conducting their own blind tastings and I’ve easily gotten past that association once I began trying the juice therein. I think the angle of less materials to deal with will be easily accepted, as environmental concerns put extra pressures on wineries to lower their carbon footprints. We’ve seen a bit of this revolution already in the SF bay area with restuarants saying no to bottled water. There’s even a local winery (Natural Process Alliance) in Santa Rosa making a Pinot Gris and Chardonnay in Klean Canteen stainless steel cannisters rather than glass bottles, distributing them only within 100 miles of the winery. I hope exporters will give us another chance or that our own wineries will forge ahead with alternative packaging, with an increased emphasis on education and environmental awareness.

There are 3-liter wine boxes sold in the US that are a step up from jug wine — basic supermarket level wine, say. I love the concept, but whenever I’ve tried one, I’ve never found the wine to last anywhere near as long as the claim. Two weeks, tops, and there’s noticeable deterioration during that time. I have no idea why — obviously, it’s not oxygen. It’s still a better experience than resealing wine, and I wonder why wines with brand allegiance like Mondavi or Fetzer or Gallo’s Turning Leaf don’t try this.

As a full-time wedding minister in Chicago, I get to a lot of receptions. I know of only one place in all of Chicagoland that has wine on tap — the fabulous Meson Sabika in Naperville (and its sister restaurants).

I was invited to stay for a reception — an invitation I always accept at this tapas restaurant. I went up to the bar to order another glass of their homemade sangria. Much to my surprise, it came out of a tap! Astonished, I asked about it. They go through so much of it, they do it that way. They add fresh fruit and ice and, voila, a wonderful wine.

I like the old vino alla spina system of a big ceramic jug (or amphora–I’m talking really old) with a tap in the bottom and a couple inches of olive oil on top of the wine. Little oxygen gets in. To refill, you just pour some more wine in the top. Sure, it’s the stuff Guido down the street made, not Sassicaia. But it works fine for the everyday house wine.

I’ve had the Vieille Ferme Côtes du Ventoux Rouge in the box a few times and found it to be pretty good. I don’t see it around very often, but when I do, I pick it up. I also keep it in the frig, so I think that helps it keep (not that it lasts all that long!). I also read recently that the NY wine distributors Jenny & Francois Selections had been experimenting with some wines in the box selections. I’ve also heard good things about the tetra pac Malbac from Blue and Yellow(?), though I haven’t had it myself. I agree with #6, if you’re looking for an every day quaffer for during the week, any of these could be the way to go.

My curiosity about wine from the taps was in terms of what gas would be used to push it out, which Mr. Asimov identifies as nitrogen. (BTW, it is somewhat inaccurate to say that the pressurized CO2 used to dispense beer is what carbonates the beer. Most beer is already carbonated in the keg, and although some of the dispensing CO2 will leech into the beer as the keg is consumed, the carbonation is present prior to tapping the keg and the pressure is to preserve the carbonation without adding oxygen. A notable exception are real British ales, which have very low natural carbonation in the keg, and are properly dispensed by hand pumps which use no CO2 to avoid becoming uncharacteristically fizzy.)

Pressurized nitrogen is famously used to dispense Guinness Stout, and is responsible for the unique cascade that is characteristic of draught Guinness. I wonder if any such effect is seen towards the end of a wine keg.

Aside from that, I’ve always wondered why no one ever kegged wine (until now), as it’s such a well established technology.

OK, we are talking about an every-day type house wine here. So wine snobs, back off, I’m going out on a limb talking to ya’ll. I’ve sampled a lot of boxed wines and I think you are safest with the Black Box brand, right across the board with grape varieties. Their Chardonnay is very good. And so is the one from Killer Juice. Terrible name and nasty biker label, but decent chardonnay … and cab too. And their Pinot Grigio with the softer name “Angel Juice” is quite drinkable. I’ve paid $6 for a glass of Delicato in Hoboken — a good every day wine but you can get a bottle’s worth in a box for less than that. Fisheye is another one with a bad Aussie-type name and label but basically good wine. These are all as good or better than what you would get if you brought your jug for filling into a wine shop in France. ( I haven’t found any Australian box wines that I buy a second time.)

Try some of these and write in about it — it’s not a lot of money you are risking.

My only problem with this keg approach is that I fear that by-the-glass options would shrink even more. Beyond that I think it’s Fantastic!

One day early last fall on an unusually warm and very humid day (in Boston), we met some friends at Les Zygomates — a fine wine bar and bistro, in fact, it’s url is winebar.com. I ordered a glass of red at the bar and was instantly disappointed. The wine must’ve been 75-80 degrees and it tasted like it was probably a good wine, but was just falling apart at that temperature. I know that running a restaurant in an old building in an old town is tough, but this is a wine bar for crying out loud. All the effort that went in to selecting unique and worthy wines for the customers was done in by the inability to keep it cool.

I’ve had the Blue and Yellow Malbec, and it’s plenty decent. They also make a Torrontes (available here in Chicago); the bonus is that both wines are made w/ organic grapes.
I think these will catch on as: 1. Organic; 2. larger (liter size) package; 3. less/lighter weight packaging. I’m all for it–it’s a step in the right direction in terms of enjoying wine but reducing its environmental impact.

I’ve had the Blue and Yellow malbec, as well. It’s quite good for the price (a liter for $10.99) – I’ll buy it again. But it’s not bag-in-box. I’m not sure what would be the best way to try to keep it fresh for a week or two.

I’d like to try wine in a box, but I can’t find it anywhere–except the ubiquitous Franzia, which all reviewers say isn’t drinkable. Casn the Times run a list of shops in New York that carry a variety of good boxed wines? As the only wine drinker in the family, I suffer having to try to store that part of the bottle I can’t finish off with a meal, and would appreciate knowing if wine in a box does indeed keep fresh, and where I can get it.

In 1976 my family and I lived in a one hundred-year-old house across the street from a wine coop outlet in Aix-en-Provence, France. Customers brought their own bottles and they would be filled out of a giant tank/keg. The wine was good table wine from an area that isn’t known for fine vintages, but is just as good as what I buy for my own table unless it’s a special occasion. I would happily drink that wine daily today, if I could get it. The store did a brisk business in that city, and the French aren’t known for being tolerant of bad wine. They are known for thrifty appreciation of good value. Apparently, the coop could keep the wine in good condition in those large tanks. The keg system you describe seems very promising.

Wine on tap is commonplace in Italy, especially in Venice and Rome. If you order the house red or white, it is a 90% certainty that it is coming from a cask on tap. Many of the cantinas where you can fill up your own bottle to take home are also serving it from a tap. The quality is indistinguishable so long as there is not too much gas.

We have Caves de Pomerols Picpoul de Pinet in a 3-liter box, sold under the name “La Petite Frog.” We sell the identical wine in glass under the name “Le Jade.” We’re still looking for a decent boxed red.

While I understand the economic appeal of the keg, I too fear a diminution of choice of wines by the glass.

For those looking for a good “box” wine to try, i would offer the recommendation of “Three Thieves”.
Three business partners – with Joel Gott the reknowned California winemaker at the center – were looking to shake up the CA wine biz a little.
So they source good fruit and make reasonably priced, good wine…and sell it in things like tetra paks and jugs…
It’s not something to wow your oenophile friends…but it’s good for a nightly glass…or a big party where you’re going to buy a whole lot of wine and don’t have a million bucks to spend, etc.
If you’re in NYC, i’ve bought their goods are Best Cellars and also at Bottlerocket.
A site like wine-searcher.com can help you find other outlets in NY or outlets in your area.

“From the Tank” is the name of our Cotes du Rhone 3 Liter box wine, available in red and white. High quality rhone wines from the Vignerons d’Estzargues, the same producer who makes the Gres St Vincent that Eric rated as one of the best value Cotes du Rhones on the market!

My wife and I usually keep around three cases of fine bottled wine in our racks for dinner occasions but for more casual sipping we discovered that there is some better than good box wine out there. The most readily available here in Minnesota and the best we’ve tried thus far is the Black Box cabernet, merlot, chardonnay, et al. It is in a 3 litre box, or 4 bottles worth, and is somewhat more expensive than most boxes at about $23.00 but divided by 4 it comes in at under $6.00 per bottle equivalent. We’ve found it consistantly bests almost anything in a bottle in that price range and it does stay fresh for much longer than a bottle. Our hope is that restaurants would adopt it for by the glass wine as a more consumer friendly alternative to the extortionate prices they currently charge, especially in this economy.

Hardy’s chardonnay & shiraz are my favorite (boxed) table wines — far better, I think, than Black Box. Their cabernet & merlot are not as good. It’s a decent Australian brand, usually $20. for a 3-liter (4 bottle equivalent) box. Can be found on sale for $16./box — or $4/bottle for wine you can happily drink with your family, or share with friends without embarrassment.

I’ve never tried the better wines that come in bags, but have had a few tetra packs on outdoor trips where a bottle wouldn’t do. (Rafting, ski touring). My favorite would be the Bandit cab by Three Thieves. I thought it was a really decent cab, I liked it a lot, and was very surprised by the balance and quality. I’ve also had the french rabbit pinot, which is a vdp in a tetra pack – it was drinkable and decent, but was pretty thin and lacking in flavor, like a lot of cheap french wine.